Systems, methods, and vacuum chucks for transferring flexible elongate bodies

Abstract

Systems, methods, and vacuum chucks for transferring flexible elongate bodies are disclosed herein. The vacuum chucks include an elongate rigid support, a vertically oriented vacuum surface, a vacuum manifold, and a skirt seal. The systems include an elongate horizontal support structure, a transfer structure, a plurality of vertical linkages, which are operatively attached to the elongate horizontal support structure, and a plurality of vacuum chucks. Each of the plurality of vacuum chucks is operatively attached to a respective one of the plurality of vertical linkages. The methods include suspending an elongate horizontal support structure with a transfer structure, aligning each of a plurality of vacuum chucks with a respective portion of a vertical surface of a flexible elongate body, selectively actuating each of the plurality of vacuum chucks to retain the respective portion of the vertical surface of the flexible elongate body, and lifting the flexible elongate body.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A vacuum chuck for transferring a flexible elongate body, the vacuum chuck comprising:
 an elongate rigid support; 
 a vertically oriented vacuum surface including a plurality of vacuum holes, wherein the vertically oriented vacuum surface extends along a length of the elongate rigid support, is supported by the elongate rigid support, and is configured to contact a vertical surface of the flexible elongate body during transfer of the flexible elongate body by the vacuum chuck; 
 a vacuum manifold in fluid communication with the plurality of vacuum holes and configured to apply a retention vacuum to the plurality of vacuum holes to retain the flexible elongate body on the vertically oriented vacuum surface during transfer of the flexible elongate body by the vacuum chuck; and 
 a skirt seal that extends along a length of the vertically oriented vacuum surface, wherein the skirt seal is sized and located to form a fluid seal with the flexible elongate body; 
 wherein the vertically oriented vacuum surface is a first vertically oriented vacuum surface, and further wherein the vacuum chuck includes a second vertically oriented vacuum surface, wherein the first vertically oriented vacuum surface and the second vertically oriented vacuum surface face away from one another, and further wherein the elongate rigid support extends at least partially between the first vertically oriented vacuum surface and the second vertically oriented vacuum surface; 
 and further wherein the vacuum manifold is a first vacuum manifold, wherein the plurality of vacuum holes is a first plurality of vacuum holes, wherein the first vacuum manifold is in fluid communication with the first plurality of vacuum holes, wherein the retention vacuum is a first retention vacuum, wherein the flexible elongate body is a first flexible elongate body, wherein the second vertically oriented vacuum surface includes a second plurality of vacuum holes, wherein the vacuum chuck includes a second vacuum manifold in fluid communication with the second plurality of vacuum holes and configured to apply a second retention vacuum to the second plurality of vacuum holes to retain a second flexible elongate body on the second vertically oriented vacuum surface during transfer of the second flexible elongate body by the vacuum chuck, and further wherein the vacuum chuck is configured to apply the first retention vacuum to the first plurality of vacuum holes independent from application of the second retention vacuum to the second plurality of vacuum holes. 
 
     
     
       2. The vacuum chuck of  claim 1 , wherein the skirt seal is configured to resist peeling of the flexible elongate body from the vertically oriented vacuum surface when the flexible elongate body is in contact with the vertically oriented vacuum surface and the retention vacuum is applied to the plurality of vacuum holes. 
     
     
       3. The vacuum chuck of  claim 1 , wherein the elongate rigid support is a tubular elongate rigid support. 
     
     
       4. The vacuum chuck of  claim 1 , wherein the length of the elongate rigid support is at least 1 meter. 
     
     
       5. The vacuum chuck of  claim 1 , wherein the vertically oriented vacuum surface is defined by a body that is operatively attached to the elongate rigid support. 
     
     
       6. The vacuum chuck of  claim 5 , wherein the body includes a first planar wall, a second planar wall, and a plurality of elongate webs that extend between the first planar wall and the second planar wall, wherein the second planar wall is operatively attached to the elongate rigid support, wherein the first planar wall defines the vertically oriented vacuum surface, and further wherein the first planar wall includes a plurality of perforations that defines the plurality of vacuum holes. 
     
     
       7. The vacuum chuck of  claim 1 , wherein the vacuum manifold is at least partially defined by the elongate rigid support. 
     
     
       8. The vacuum chuck of  claim 1 , wherein the vacuum manifold includes a vacuum conduit that is external to the elongate rigid support. 
     
     
       9. The vacuum chuck of  claim 1 , wherein the skirt seal includes a sheet of flexible material that is configured to at least partially overlap with the flexible elongate body when the flexible elongate body is retained on the vertically oriented vacuum surface. 
     
     
       10. The vacuum chuck of  claim 1 , wherein the skirt seal is configured to restrict fluid flow past an upper surface of the flexible elongate body when the flexible elongate body is retained on the vertically oriented vacuum surface. 
     
     
       11. The vacuum chuck of  claim 1 , wherein the skirt seal is configured to form the fluid seal with the flexible elongate body along a length of the flexible elongate body. 
     
     
       12. The vacuum chuck of  claim 1 , wherein the vacuum chuck includes a plurality of independent vacuum manifolds, wherein the vertically oriented vacuum surface includes a plurality of independent regions, and further wherein each of the plurality of independent vacuum manifolds is in fluid communication with a respective one of the plurality of independent regions of the vertically oriented vacuum surface. 
     
     
       13. The vacuum chuck of  claim 12 , wherein each of the plurality of independent vacuum manifolds is configured to permit independent control of application of a respective retention vacuum to the respective one of the plurality of independent regions of the vertically oriented vacuum surface. 
     
     
       14. A system for transferring a flexible elongate body, the system comprising:
 an elongate horizontal support structure; 
 a transfer structure configured to support the elongate horizontal support structure; 
 a plurality of vertical linkages, wherein each of the plurality of vertical linkages extends between an upper end and a lower end, wherein the upper end is operatively attached to the elongate horizontal support structure, and further wherein the plurality of vertical linkages extends from the elongate horizontal support structure; and 
 a plurality of vacuum chucks, wherein each of the plurality of vacuum chucks includes a respective lift support and is operatively attached to the lower end of a respective one of the plurality of vertical linkages via the respective lift support, further wherein each of the plurality of vacuum chucks is configured to selectively retain a respective portion of a vertical surface of the flexible elongate body, and further wherein at least one of the plurality of vacuum chucks includes the vacuum chuck of  claim 1 . 
 
     
     
       15. The system of  claim 14 , wherein the elongate horizontal support structure is configured to be suspended from the transfer structure and to pre-deflect to a pre-loaded conformation prior to selective retention of the flexible elongate body with the plurality of vacuum chucks. 
     
     
       16. The system of  claim 14 , wherein a length of the elongate horizontal support structure is at least 10 meters. 
     
     
       17. The system of  claim 14 , wherein each of the plurality of vertical linkages is suspended from the elongate horizontal support structure via a respective pivotal linkage. 
     
     
       18. The system of  claim 14 , wherein each of the plurality of vertical linkages is configured to be adjusted among a plurality of different respective lengths to permit a respective vacuum chuck of the plurality of vacuum chucks to be aligned with the respective portion of the vertical surface of the flexible elongate body. 
     
     
       19. The system of  claim 14 , wherein the respective lift support is configured to permit rotation of a respective vacuum chuck of the plurality of vacuum chucks about a vacuum chuck rotational axis. 
     
     
       20. The system of  claim 14 , wherein the plurality of vacuum chucks is configured to selectively retain the respective portion of the vertical surface of the flexible elongate body via selective application of a retention vacuum. 
     
     
       21. A method of transferring a flexible elongate body, the method comprising:
 suspending an elongate horizontal support structure with a transfer structure, wherein an upper end of each of a plurality of vertical linkages is operatively attached to the elongate horizontal support structure, wherein each of the plurality of vertical linkages extends vertically, or at least substantially vertically, from the elongate horizontal support structure, wherein a respective vacuum chuck of a plurality of vacuum chucks is operatively attached to a lower end of each of the plurality of vertical linkages, wherein the suspending the elongate horizontal support structure includes suspending the plurality of vacuum chucks, and further wherein at least one of the plurality of vacuum chucks includes the vacuum chuck of  claim 1 ; 
 aligning each of the plurality of vacuum chucks with a respective portion of a vertical surface of the flexible elongate body; 
 selectively actuating each of the plurality of vacuum chucks to retain the respective portion of the vertical surface of the flexible elongate body with each of the plurality of vacuum chucks; and 
 lifting the flexible elongate body via translation of the elongate horizontal support structure such that the flexible elongate body is suspended from the plurality of vacuum chucks. 
 
     
     
       22. A vacuum chuck for transferring a flexible elongate body, the vacuum chuck comprising:
 an elongate rigid support; 
 a vertically oriented vacuum surface including a plurality of vacuum holes, wherein the vertically oriented vacuum surface extends along a length of the elongate rigid support, is supported by the elongate rigid support, and is configured to contact a vertical surface of the flexible elongate body during transfer of the flexible elongate body by the vacuum chuck; 
 a vacuum manifold in fluid communication with the plurality of vacuum holes and configured to apply a retention vacuum to the plurality of vacuum holes to retain the flexible elongate body on the vertically oriented vacuum surface during transfer of the flexible elongate body by the vacuum chuck; and 
 a skirt seal that extends along a length of the vertically oriented vacuum surface, wherein the skirt seal is sized and located to form a fluid seal with the flexible elongate body; 
 wherein the vertically oriented vacuum surface is a first vertically oriented vacuum surface, and further wherein the vacuum chuck includes a second vertically oriented vacuum surface, wherein the first vertically oriented vacuum surface and the second vertically oriented vacuum surface face away from one another, and further wherein the elongate rigid support extends at least partially between the first vertically oriented vacuum surface and the second vertically oriented vacuum surface; 
 and further wherein the vacuum chuck includes a plurality of independent vacuum manifolds, wherein the vertically oriented vacuum surface includes a plurality of independent regions, and further wherein each of the plurality of independent vacuum manifolds is in fluid communication with a respective one of the plurality of independent regions of the vertically oriented vacuum surface. 
 
     
     
       23. The vacuum chuck of  claim 22 , wherein each of the plurality of independent vacuum manifolds is configured to permit independent control of application of a respective retention vacuum to the respective one of the plurality of independent regions of the vertically oriented vacuum surface.